Never Say Never
by mintyfresh333
Summary: A continuation of after Order of the Phoenix. Harry, in his grief, is blind to what's happening around him. Once he comes to realize what's going on, it may be too late.
1. Plaguing Nightmares

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the numerous characters in these books. They belong to J.K. Rowling and whoever published the books.

Outside of Harry Potter's window, the sun was setting. He watched as the beautiful oranges and pinks blended together to create a breathtaking swirl of colors in the sky. It was amazing how things seemed to go on after a tragedy. Harry almost expected the sun to stop rising and setting so he could mourn for Sirius without missing anything important.

It had been several months since Sirius had died while Harry stood there, horrified, just watching as he fell through the curtain

The tapping of Hedwig against his bedroom window startled him from his musings. He wearily went to unlatch the window and let her in. 

She was carrying a letter. The scrawling, messy handwriting on the envelope told Harry the letter was from Ron.

Harry,

Mum wants to know if you would like to come spend the rest of the summer with us. Dumbledore says it's ok. Let me know ho you're doing, ok?

Ron

Harry didn't even smile at the prospect of going to the Burrow. He felt just as sad as he did before. He grabbed a quill and some paper and scrawled a hasty note back to Ron.

Ron,

Yeah going back to the burrow sounds great. Tell your mum to pick me up sometime next week. Thanks for inviting me. See you soon. Have you guys gotten your OWL scores yet?

Harry

P.S. Don't use Floo powder. My aunt and uncle don't like it. And also, it'd be better if you don't bring Fred and George either. No more "Ton Tongues" this year.

As he read over the note, even he could tell it didn't sound like him. It was too formal and upright for Ron and Hermione, not to mention the rest of the people residing at the Burrow.

Harry heaved a huge sigh of weariness and sadness. He tied the letter to Hedwig's leg and gently stroked her beak for a few minutes.

"Send this to Ron, ok?" he said. He fed her some cheese and opened the window. She flew out gracefully, dipping her wings.

Harry sat down a chair and opened the photo album he'd gotten from Hagrid in his first year at Hogwarts. He flipped open to the picture of his parents on their wedding day. He gently touched the picture of Sirius with his thumb. Suddenly, as if someone had thrown scalding water over his hand, he drew it back. Right next to Sirius was Peter Pettigrew, or Wormtail. Harry hated Wormtail almost as much as Voldemort.

Harry set aside the book. He propped his chin on his hands and looked out the window at the fading sunset.

Suddenly, the sound of screams made him jerk his head up and look out the window.

"Help! Somebody help me! It's the one who killed Lily!HELP!"


	2. Back at the Burrow

Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. They belong to J.K. Rowling and the WB. 

A/N:Yeah I know, first chapter seemed kind of pointless. But don't worry, things make more sense in Chapter Two. So, read on and enjoy!J 

Harry bolted up in bed and pressed his fingers to his scar. His ragged breathing slowed down a bit and he allowed himself to relax and fall back amongst the pillows. His forehead had the familiar ache to it. 

Harry reached over and put on his glasses. He barely registered the calendar on his wall. He never ticked the days off anymore. Harry rubbed his eyes and allowed them to come into focus. Sunlight streamed through his window and he glanced at the clock. 9:28 am. He hardly ever slept in past eight.

Ruffling his hair, Harry headed downstairs to have a bit of breakfast. As he entered the Dursley's living room, all of them looked up at him,

"So, have you sent your friends a letter, telling them all is well?" asked Uncle Vernon, trying to sound calm, but his quivering mustache betrayed his inner fears.

"They're not going to come and blow you all to pieces," said Harry tonelessly.

"Good, good," said Uncle Vernon, smoothing his mustache. "Well, we fixed you some breakfast."

"Well, that's a first," remarked Harry. "Usually I have to make it for all of you nitwits. What's changed?"

Uncle Vernon forced out a strange, robotic laugh. "I wouldn't want to disappoint your ,um, bodyguards, would I?"

Harry laughed inwardly at Uncle Vernon's not-so-well masked fear. "Well, if they come, you can hide behind Dudley. You and Aunt Petunia could fit behind him and there'd be room to spare."

Dudley made as to lunge at Harry, but Aunt Petunia held out her arm and stopped him Dudley slumped back into the couch, his round, flabby face livid with suppressed anger.

A sudden POP! startled them all and they all stared at Mr. Weasley standing in the living room, smiling benignly at them all.

"Wh-what are you doing here?" spluttered Uncle Vernon. "We've been nice to Harry! We haven't done anything!"

Mr. Weasley smiled a calming at smile at Uncle Vernon. "I know that, but something has happened that makes Dumbledore wish to have Harry brought to headquarters immediately."

"But Mr. Weasley, I can't Apparate!" Harry stuttered.

Mr. Weasley nodded his head. "I brought us a wonderful Portkey for you to use." He held up a decaying soccer ball.

"Um, ok," replied Harry. "Let me go pack up my stuff and —"

Mr. Weasley held up his hand as if to stop Harry. "That will not be necessary. Tonks and the others will come pick it up."

"Are you sure Tonks should be handling my stuff," Harry asked nervously. "I don't want anything to be broken."

Mr. Weasley laughed. "Trust me, Harry, your stuff will be fine. Have your wand? Good, let's get going then."

He held out the soccer ball. Harry walked over to him and he gave a last-minute glance at the open-mouthed Durlsey's.

"Ta," he said, suppressing his laughter. With that, he grabbed the soccer ball. He felt the familiar jerk beneath his navel and he was whirling into space.


	3. A HearttoHeart

Disclaimer: Belongs to J.K Rowling and The WB.

A/N: Ok, I finished the plot outline, so I now know what I am doing. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE point out anything that is wrong with my stories! That way I can fix them and make them better! Thank you so much! This chapter is really short. I still have to master the art of cliffhangers J . So please don't harangue me on it being too short.

Harry felt the spinning come to an end as he landed in the kitchen in the Burrow. Mrs. Weasley was cooking something over a stove and Ron was sitting at the table, a huge grin on his face.

"Hey Harry!" he said enthusiastically.

"Hey," replied Harry, feeling a glimmer of happiness light up in him because of seeing his best friend.

"How's it going?" asked Ron. "Are you okay?"

"Just because I've lost someone doesn't mean I'm going to commit suicide," Harry told him, a smile breaking across his face.

"Ok. Ok, no need to get snippish," Ron told him.

"Harry, I need to talk to you," said Mr. Weasley, poking him gently in the back.

Mr. Weasley held the door open for Harry and ushered him into a small, private room. The room was sprinkled with squishy couches and glossy mahogany tables.

"Have a seat," said Mr. Weasley, gesturing to one of the many couches.

Harry sat down on a couch and looked expectantly at Mr. Weasley 

"Is something wrong?" he asked Mr. Weasley.

Mr. Weasley let out a small laugh and looked down at his shoes.

"Harry, you know if anything is bothering you, you can come to me, right?" said Mr. Weasley, his face turning a slight shade of pink.

"Um, yeah," said Harry, completely bemused. "Why? Is something supposed to be bothering me that I don't know about?"

Mr. Weasley let loose another small spurt of laughter.

"Well, not quite," he said, sobering up a little bit. "But I have something I need to tell you. You may not like what I have to say, but it needs to be said."

"Well, what is it?" Harry inquired. When Mr. Weasley hesitated, he said, "Well, spit it out!"

Mr. Weasley raised his head and looked right at Harry, his blue eyes piercing into him.

"Harry," he began slowly. "You're not going to believe this."


	4. Breakfast Time

Disclaimer: These characters belong to J.K. Rowling and the WB.

A/N: Sorry the last chapter was so short. I had some writers block. This one will be longer than Chapter Three. Enjoy and please review!

"Dumbledore is very worried about you, Harry," said Mr. Weasley. "And, quite frnakly, so are the rest of us."

:I thought I was safe from Voldemort at Privet Drive," Harry said, feeling confused.

"It's not Voldemort that worries us," replied Mr. Weasley. "It's you."

"Me?" asked Harry. "Why me?"

"Haven't you looked in a mirror," said Mr. Weasley. "Your eyes are red and surrounded by dark circles. You look pale and you've lost so much weight. Mundungus says you hardly eat and that you cry out in your sleep."

Harry stood up, feeling betrayed and angry.

"You guys are still following me?" he asked in the quiet voice of someone filled with cold rage.

"It's for your own protection," Mr. Weasley told him, looking up at him imploringly "Don't you realize all this is for your own good?"

"My own GOOD!" Harry screamed, his anger boiling over into rage. "I hate this watching and reporting. Let's make sure Harry doesn't do something to hurt himself! Little Harry can't handle anything on his own!"

"Harry, try to understand. If we lose you, it's over. Voldemort will win. Can't you see that? You're the only one who can defeat him!"

Harry felt his anger slowly ebbing away at the sight of Mr. Weasley's eyes filling with tears. Hje sat down and put his head in his hands.

"I-I'm sorry," he said finally. "You're right. I don't eat and I barely sleep. I have nightmares every night."

Mr. Weasley leaned over and patted Harry's shoulder.

"It's alright Harry," he said reassuringly. "I understand you've been through a lot. You can always count on us to be there for you."

At that moment, Mrs. Weasley came in.

"Breakfast, anyone?"

Harry poked at his sausage. As usual, he had no appetite. But after ten minutes of people staring at him worriedly, he managed to shove down some eggs and toast. Mr. Weasley gave him a relieved smile.

Are you sure you should have told him about the nightmares? asked a voice in the back of Harry's head. Everyone that knows your secrets ends up hurt or dead.

Not true, Harry told the voice.

Before the voice could respond, a small owl fluttered in and dropped letters on Harry, Ron, and Ginny's head.

"Ooh, Hogwart's letters," said Ginny eagerly. She tore into her letter and began to read.

"O.W.L. results," groaned Ron, throwing down his letter.

Mrs. Weasley fixed him with a piercing stare. "Well?" she asked. "How did you do?

"

"I passed them all except for Divination," said Ron, leaning back in his chair.

"Harry?" asked Mrs. Weasley.

"Really well," replied Harry. "Badly in Divination."

Ron a stifled a snort of laughter and Mrs. Weasley threw him a sharp look, which immediately silenced him.

"Well, what NEWTS are you taking?" she inquired.

"Let's see. Defense Against the Dark Arts, Charms, Transfiguration," and here Harry grimaced, "Potions."

"Bad luck on that one, mate," said Ron sympathetically. "Feel sorry for you."

Mrs. Weasley stood up and began to clear away the dishes. Mr. Weasley rose to help her. Ron and Harry headed up the rambling staircase to his room.

Ron pushed open the door and he and Harry let out simultaneous gasps of shock.


	5. Happy Birthday Harry

Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters. If you think I do, please get some help right away.

A/N: After this chapter, I'm taking a break from this story so I can work on my LOTR story, which I personally like better. So, in about two weeks, I will get back on this story. Enjoy!

Ron's room was filled with owls, all of them chirping and holding letters in their beaks.

"What on earth?" said Ron disbelievingly. "Who are all of these for?"

"Well, this one's for me," said Harry, looking at a letter. "And so is this ones. Ooh, it's a birthday card!"

"I think all of them are for you, Harry," said Ron incredulously. "Wow, when did my best mate get so popular? Harry, it's all fan mail!"

"This is actually very scary," said Harry, slowly circling the room, picking up letters and shooing away the owls.

"Well?" said Ron and when Harry gave him a confuse look, Ron clarified by saying, "Aren't you going to respond to your fan mail? That's what you're supposed to do!"

"Er, right," said Harry. "I guess I better, um, respond to my legions."

Ron grinned at him. "Don't get cocky, mate."

Harry sat down and took out some of Ron's ink and parchment.

Dear Estella, he began,

Thank you so much for the birthday card! I appreciate it a lot and it just warms my heart to know that such a kind and caring person is out there. Good luck in the future!

Lots of love,

Harry

"Warms your heart?' said Ron. He made gagging noises and handed Harry another letter.

After about a dozen more letters, Harry asked Ron, "Is it just me or are most of these letters from girls?"

"It's not you," said Ron, laughing. "As a matter of fact, all of them are from girls."

"Great," murmured Harry. "I really don't want to turn out like Lockhart, sending out autographs all night long."

"Don't answer all of them," Ron told him. "Just some random ones you pick from the pile." 

Just then, an owl flew in and dropped a letter on Ron's head. He shook his fist at the owl and picked up the letter from the floor.

"Hey!' exclaimed Ron. "It's from Hermione! When did she get an owl?"

Dear Harry(read the letter),

I borrowed this owl from a friend. I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday! I'm going to be arriving at the Burrow tomorrow! I can hardly wait to see you both! I better go pack now!

Lots of hugs and kisses,

Hermione

"That's nice," said Harry. "At least it's not on the, uh, what did this one say? Oh yes, the sparkle and wit in my emerald green eyes. This is scary, Ron. April from London sent me five letters already."

Ron stared at him for a moment and then burst out laughing. When he finally calmed down, he said, "Looks you got yourself a bona fide stalker, Harry!"

Harry looked down at the pile of letters that he had not yet opened. He felt suddenly exhausted and he really wanted to just burn all these letters that said how hot he was and how much they loved him, respected him, adored him, etc.

"Hey Ron, why don't we go play some Quidditch. I don't have my broom, but maybe there's one I can borrow?"

"I think that Fred left his here after his escape from Hogwart's," replied Ron. Sure that sounds like a lot of fun! Come one let's go!"

July 31st, Harry's birthday:

"Harry!" Harry suddenly found himself ambushed by a wad of bushy brown hair. It was Hermione and she had a huge smile on her face.

"Hermione!" said Harry, shocked. "Y-You're taller than me! When did that happen?" He threw his arms around her and gave her a warm, friendly hug.

She grinned at him, somewhat evilly. "This summer, I guess. So, how are you, Harry? Oh, I have your birthday present! Did I tell you, Mum signed me up for singing lessons? No matter how many times I practice, I'm still a terrible singer!"

Harry held up his hand. "Ok, slow down Hermione. Why don't we sit down and have a nice little conversation, alright?"

Hermione looked at him like he was crazy and then laughing, followed him out the door to the garden. Behind them, Ron was looking at there retreating backs with jealousy in his eyes.

A/N: No, I will not have a romance between Harry and Hermione. But maybe some friction between her and Ron..::rubs hands together and grins evilly::


	6. Diagon Alley

A/N: I know, it's been two months. I've been really busy with school and plays. So, without further ado, I present to you.chapter six!

Harry was awoken by a sharp painful jab in his side. He rolled over to escape its accompanying pokes.

"Get up!" said the voice of Ginny Weasley in his ear. Harry opened one eye and attempted to muster up a withering look. He failed miserably. That didn't deter her in the least.

"We're going to Diagon Alley, lazybones," she said, now beginning to jump and down on his bed. There was no escape from this, so Harry wearily got up from his bed . Ginny stopped jumping, jumped off the bed, and began talking about her excitement at being a fifth-year.

"Ginny!" said Harry finally. "Do you mind?" He motioned towards the door. "I need to get dressed". Ginny flushed a bright red and dashed from the room. Harry wondered if she had put extra sugar in her tea.

An hour later, they were all standing in front of the fireplace with the pot of Floo powder. Harry took a deep breath and swallowed when it was his turn to go. He'd had a bad experience the first time he used it and wasn't fond of traveling this way. He stood in the fireplace, threw down his powder, and said as clearly as he could, "Diagon Alley".

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Ginny were all wandering around Diagon Alley with their lists of school supplies. Ron spent a lot of time staring longingly at brooms in a display window. Hermione lost herself somewhere in the bookstore and it took them half an hour to find her, nose buried deep in a musty looking book about Irish wizards.

"Hermione," said Harry, his tone half exasperated and half amused. "Come on, it's time to go."

"Well, well, look what we have here," an all-too-familiar voice voice drawled behind them.

Harry groaned aloud.

"Hey Malfoy. Looks like Daddy got rid of the tentacles. What are you planning now? If I were you, I would focus on passing school."

Malfoy smiled at Harry, but the smile wasn't a nice one. "Oh, you have no idea what I have planned, Potter."

A/N: I know it's short. All my chapters are short. You might as well learn to deal with it because of the amount of time I have to write these. I actually have to be at work in ten minutes, so there you go. See ya'all later!!


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